The life of the leader of Mexico. Political turmoil in Mexico would
eventually lead to American troops under General Pershing being led into that
country.

Spoiler Warning: the whole story is told
below:

Very good film. The movie starts with Napoleon III of France being handed
a note saying that the Confederate army was beaten by the Northern army at the
Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. The message frightens the
emperor because his forces had conquered Mexico on the understanding that the
Confederate States of America would become a separate, recognized nation.
Now he fears that the United States might intervene in the situation in Mexico.

Napoleon III decides to carry out a fraud. He will give Mexico a
non-French monarch chosen through a national plebiscite (fraudulent of course)
that will chose an emperor other than Benito Juarez, that "Indian bandit" as the
emperor calls him. He chooses Maximilian von Habsburg of Austria to be the
new emperor.

Meanwhile, Juarez receives a letter from President Lincoln holding out the hope
that after the Civil War, he will provide aide to the Mexicans.

May 1, 1864. Juarez issues a letter to the people of Mexico calling on
them to resist the designs of Napoleon III.

Gen. Marechal Achille Bazaine, the leader of French troops in Mexico, is the man
responsible for making the plebiscite come out in favor of the monarch.
Not surprisingly, 99% of the vote goes to Maximilian.

King Maximilian and Queen Carlotta arrive in Mexico to take command. While
heading for Mexico City, he uncovers a letter from Benito Juarez to him saying
that he assumes the throne on the basis of a fraud (but does not spell out what
he means by fraud).

Alejandro Uradi, second in position to Juarez in the government, tells Juarez
that since he is an Indian he will not be well received as the president of
Mexico and that he should resign for a European person (preferably himself, of
course).

Maximilian is surprised to learn that the political situation is not at all calm
in Mexico, as he was led to believe, but that Juarez has a 25,000 man army in
the north and a 12,000 man army in the south. So the emperor decides to launch
an immediate offensive.

In the campaign that follows, the Juarez forces are trapped. Uradi
counsels surrender, but Gen. Porfirio Diaz volunteers to attack the enemy and
thereby give the Juarez forces time to escape. Diaz is captured during the
battle. Juarez decides "no more pitched battles" and opts for guerilla
warfare.

Members of Maximilian's "cabinet," want him to restore the lands confiscated by
Benito Juarez and return them to their original owners. The emperor
learns, however, that 80% of the land was owned by a mere 85 estates.
Maximilian is shocked and denies the request.

Juarez's forces strike at more than 50 targets in Mexico. The emperor's
generals want Maximilian to respond by executing all captured republicans and
any Mexican found with a weapon. Maximilian refuses to sign.

At this time, Maximilian learns about the election fraud via coercion that
brought him to power. He says to Carlotta "Napoleon has made us his
dupes." He desperately tries to figure a way out of this trap of
illegality. He comes up with the idea of making Juarez the prime minister
who will be responsible to the emperor. But these are days before the
appearance of democratic constitutional monarchies and Juarez rejects the offer.
Maximilian responds by signing the execution order he refused to sign earlier.

The American Civil War is now over and US ambassador to France John Bigelow
warns Napoleon III that the Americans might consider the use of force
against any foreign troops in Mexico and that they will also send arms to the
forces backing Juarez.

Back in Mexico, Urardi revolts and takes most of the Juarez army with him.
This is happy news to Maximilian who now feels that he can win in the battle
with Juarez. But shortly after this, news arrives that France is pulling
out all its troops from Mexico. Maximilian returns to an anxious state.
Carlotta is very angry at the news and she sets sail for France to tell off
Napoleon III. She will tell the Frenchman that she will tell all in Europe
about his fraud if he does not let the French troops remain in Mexico. But
Napoleon III refuses saying "We are through in Mexico." Carlotta goes mad
and has to stay in Europe.

Uradi declares himself President of Mexico. But Juarez courageously and
foolishly takes a gamble and has a coach drive him to Uradi's headquarters.
As he proceeds many peasants decide to accompany him. In the showdown
between Juarez and Uradi, someone in the assembled crowd shoots Uradi and Juarez
is now unchallenged in his position.

News reaches Maximilian that four Juarez armies are descending on him and that
he must leave. The emperor starts to go, but decides to stay when he
realizes that his close supporters will be probably be killed in his stead.
From Queretero his armies fight the four different Juarez armies. He
expects help from forces under Gen. Miguel Miramon in the south, but when the
general arrives he can only tell the emperor that his forces have been heavily
defeated at San Lorenzo by Gen. Diaz.

The Juarez forces capture the emperor and then sentence him to death.
Despite calls for clemency, Maximilian and two of his closest generals are
executed.

This movie would have been better titled "Maximilian and Carlotta." Most
of the story deals with the King and Queen with Juarez used as the couple's
source of frustrations and worries. Maximilian probably was a relatively
decent fellow, but Brian Aherne as the emperor appears a little too angelic to
be believed. What kind of man would accept the emperorship of a nation
that has been recently conquered and is currently controlled by a foreign power?
How could a person believe that the national plebiscite could possibly be on the
up-and-up? There is evidence that Maximilian really did feel that Mexico
had become his country and wanted to do his best for the nation. But, as
they say, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Paul Muni as Benito Juarez really did look like the Indian president. I
was shocked to see the close resemblance. But man, is the Juarez character
ever non-emotional.

Patrick Louis Cooney, Ph. D.

Historical Background:

1806 -- born in the the village of San Pablo Guelato, Oaxaca of Zapotec
Indian parents.

1809 - by his third birthday both his mother and father had died; goes to
live with his grandparents, who also shortly die; lives with his uncle in the
village of Ixtlan; and at age 12 lives with his sister in Oaxaca.

1818 -- he heads for the city of Oaxaca where he stays with Don Antonio Maza. He
then lives with Don Antonio Salanueva where he learns to become a bookbinder in
exchange for servant duties. He was dissatisfied with the level of education in
primary school and so dropped out to teach himself.

1821 -- Benito enrolls in a local seminary college. He eventually
switches to the study of philosophy.

1827 -- finishes his study of philosophy.

1828 -- he starts to study law.

1831 -- works in a local law of office. Since there was little work
available, he begins a second career as a liberal politician.

1835 -- gets elected a liberal deputy to the federal legislature. He
also legally represents impoverished Indians in their land struggles.

1941 -- becomes the federal court judge.

He marries Margarita Mazza, daughter of one of the wealthiest Creole
families.

1846 -- during Mexico's war against the United States, Juarez is governor of
Oaxaca; serves to 1852.

1852 -- becomes director of the Institute of Arts and Science.

1853 -- the government of Santa Anna exiles him. He lives in Havana,
Cuba and then in New Orleans, Louisiana (where he starts a revolutionary junta).